A civil demand letter is used to obtain compensation for criminal offences such as theft, fraud, damage or trespass. For example, a retail store may send a civil demand letter to someone who has been caught shoplifting, setting out the circumstances of the theft, the store's legal position and the amount it wants the shoplifter to pay.
More information may be found in the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch Poverty Law Section minutes for the meeting of April 24, 1996 and in the Young Offenders Subsection minutes for the meeting of September 27, 1996.
References
- CBA BC Branch Section Papers – on-site at Vancouver Courthouse Library